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About The Cycle: Frontier
The Cycle: Frontier is a free‑to‑play, multiplayer action game where you play as a Prospector aboard Prospect Station, orbiting the hostile planet Fortuna III. You accept faction missions, drop onto one of three maps, gather loot, and fight both alien threats and other players before extracting back to the station. Survival, loot management, and gear upgrades drive the experience, with a progression system tied to faction levels and crafting. The game shut down on 27 September 2023, but its core loop remains documented.
01 / THE GUIDE
Faction Missions
Prospectors receive jobs from the powerful factions that run Prospect Station. Missions vary by map and can involve gathering resources, calling a laser drill, or exploring dungeons. Completing jobs raises your faction level, unlocking better gear and new missions.
Higher‑level missions appear on larger maps like Crescent Falls, offering greater rewards but also tougher enemies and environmental hazards.
- Focus on missions that match your current gear tier to improve success chances.
- Raising faction levels gradually unlocks legendary weapons such as the Zeus Beam.
02 / THE GUIDE
Map Exploration
Three maps—Bright Sands, Crescent Falls, and Tharis Island—offer distinct environments, wildlife, and loot opportunities. Bright Sands is beginner‑friendly, while Crescent Falls features diverse biomes and higher‑level missions. Tharis Island, added in Season 2, contains labyrinthine caves and the highest risk‑reward scenarios.
Each map hosts other players with their own agendas, requiring careful use of terrain, sight, and sound to choose when to fight or negotiate.
- Use the terrain to gain positional advantage before engaging other players.
- Listen for audio cues to anticipate hostile alien packs or incoming storms.
03 / THE GUIDE
Loot and Extraction
Gathered resources and loot are kept on your character until you die, at which point protective foam encases you and you lose gear and loot. Successful extraction returns you to Prospect Station with all collected items intact.
Extracted loot can be spent on buying, crafting, and upgrading gear, as well as improving your private quarters.
- Prioritize quick extraction when low on health to avoid foam loss.
- Carry only essential gear to reduce potential loss on death.
04 / THE GUIDE
Gear Customization
Players can acquire weapons from factions, ranging from standard Co‑Tec arms to legendary items like the Zeus Beam. Attachments such as flashlights, expanded magazines, and armor‑penetration mods modify weapons to fit playstyle.
Tharis Island also hides powerful perks for weapons and equipment, adding another layer to customization.
- Experiment with different attachments to find a setup that matches your preferred combat range.
- Seek out Tharis Island perks for unique enhancements not found elsewhere.
05 / THE GUIDE
Multiplayer Modes
The game supports solo play, duos, or squads of three, with near‑instant matchmaking via persistent map instances. Voice chat is available in‑match, and cross‑play works between Steam and Epic Games Store.
PvP encounters are high‑stakes; death results in loot loss, while successful extraction preserves earnings.
- Coordinate with teammates using voice chat to manage threats efficiently.
- Consider playing in a trio to balance firepower and survivability.
COMMUNITY
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